She floated in on a pink cloud as Daisy did in The Great Gatsby, and for all things representative, we were the air holding her afloat. Dramatic? Maybe, but there is a certain ethereal, poetic, imaginative nature surrounding the goddess that is Erykah Badu. Kah for self and Badu, a throwback to the genre that bids itself the foundation of many, Jazz.

They came in droves. Every Ankh yielding, revolution yelling, head wrap wearing, Cipher distributing poet in Denver. They came to bear witness to something great and strong. The energy was high as the Roots took the stage. Never having seen the Roots live show without special guests, I was anticipating their high energy and musical rollercoaster ride of a show. They didn't disappoint. Emerging from the back of the Fillmore, Black Thought, ?uest Love, two guitarists and, get this, a Tuba player sauntered up to the stage, amid chants of "Roots Crew! Roots Crew!" Clearly loving every minute of it, Thought and company dominated the crowd.

Leading the wave with their most dynamic joints, the Roots slid fast and furiously through their repertoire, from the newest, "Rising Up" jawn to a crowd favorite "You Got Me". So sure Badu was about to hit the stage to join in, the audience was damn near climbing over each other. No Erykah but the guitar player went all Hendrix on us and cats were NOT ready. Words don't even describe it, he didn't just make the guitar cry, he made that motherfucker, WAIL.

After screaming, "Thank you!!! Thank you! Thank you Detroit!" and hitting the floor like "sexual chocolate" Eddie Murphy, Thought led the crowd through some obvious band favorites including a rousing reprise of Kanye's "Flashing Lights".

We wait. Badu's crew keeps up company with classics like Rick James' "In the Ghetto" I swear, amid all the blunt smoke and swaying bodies, that Rick James sounded so good it made me want to burn a hooker. Seriously.

The opening drone of New Amerykah's mantra "My People" quieted the crowd as we watched four sexy voluptuous women gliding to the beat. Erykah emerges in a pink balloon top over black tights and calmly lets us know she is about to "kill this shit."

Going right into "The Healer," she wasted no time beginning the jam session. "Amerykahn Promise" had asses shakin and Soul Train lines forming all throughout the crowd. She encourages, "It's hot as hell in here! George Clinton told me, you got to use the funk though!"

Halfway through her set, right as she is working it out to "Time's a Wasting" she yells, "Somebody bring me a t-shirt!" She changes right on stage, saying coyly after a slight nip slip, "somebody else better expose themselves up in here tonight"

She rocked on, and on, and on and on. Her hot ass 16 bars of "Block on Lock" had hands in the air the whole time. Crowd surfing to "Bag lady" and an interpretive dance to "Green Eyes" Badu had the sweaty smoked out crowd in the palm of her hands well into the night. On more than one occasion she bellowed, "I bet yall mufuckers don't remember this one…" as she launched into classics like, "I want You."

She took us to the top, from an Afrika Bambaataa inspired rendition of "Twinkle" to the bottom with slow tracks and raw vocals over "Orange Moon." She explained the album concepts and inspirations, the title 4th World War inspired by a documentary, her love for Denver, CO because of the closeness to an energy vortex, her love of life and peace.

A little long in some spells, Badu pulled us in close and let us loose with fresh ideas and perspectives on the world. A New Amerykah indeed.